Hunger
by FortySeventhLight
Summary: Yusuke can't control the urges his half demon body has now and has to fight the desire to eat whatever presents itself as a potential meal. Who can stop him?


****_Greetings, my loves! I hope you're having a good start to your holiday season, as ours is well under way, too. I've recently started a new challenge at Live Journal (30 Forbidden) which I'll be using to write up some more YYH fiction. So tonight I bring you the first successful submission of that challenge. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Don't own it. Do want it. Please give it?_

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**Hunger**

Teeth gnashing and claws extended, he dug at the ground like a ravaged animal finally set free from his cage of confinement. His blood was barely pumping fast enough to keep up with the pace he had set for himself, spurred on to burn this energy somehow.

But where the hell did the energy come from? It suddenly burst into him like a nuclear explosion and was rolling out of him in droves. And it was painful. So painful - as if his blood vessels couldn't contain the adrenaline imploding within his body.

"Yusuke!" the fox beckoned urgently, moving forward to assist his comrade, but stopped short when he noted that the young man was frothing at the mouth, hungry for a meal of whatever could slake his appetite. "Yusuke let us help you. If you could try to regain some control, I could-"

Kuwabara quickly shielded his entourage when Yusuke made a brief lunge at the pair, stopping short only when he heard the dirt being stabbed along with the hem of his shirt. He turned slowly, engorged red eyes furiously ablaze at the sight of the fearless half-pint who dared to interfere. Yusuke easily made short work of the black-haired demon and swiped one set of claws at him, sending Hiei tumbling away, blood spurting from him like a fountain.

"Urameshi, get a hold of yourself!" the brave Kuwabara interrupted, just before getting an uppercut to the jaw in reply.

Like a beast with a thirst for anything to quench his demanding body, Yusuke growled and took off in a dead run, his subconscious barely reminding him that the men he had just injured (or at the very least, startled) were his friends and shouldn't be considered appetizers. He had to get away from everything – he had to fight off this horrible feeling in his gut. The need to eat what he shouldn't.

He ran until he reached the water, the tide pushing forward and engulfing his ankles. The cooling sensation calmed him for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to convince him to keep moving forward. Unfortunately in his condition, his body forgot how to swim all together, limbs flapping fruitlessly and body rapidly sinking to the depths below.

_"Yusuke, you idiot! Calm down and swim. Swim, damn it! You're running out of air and you're going to die AGAIN!"_

Though his mind told him what he needed to do, his body wouldn't comprehend the desperate plea and continued to surrender to the water pulling him down even further. Yusuke was screaming internally, wrestling and swearing to regain control, but nothing changed.

Then the water grew colder the further he sank, and with the drop in temperature, his will did the same. He realized that he was so far below now that the frigidity was setting in and he had no chance of winning this fight. But why could he still see the sun glowing like a white bulb above the water's glassy surface?

As though he were a prize in an arcade game, he was lifted by a loose, yet determined claw higher and higher until his desperate lungs gasped for salvation above the watery plane. Air filled his lungs painfully, the organs contracting quickly to take in the sudden burst of relief then soon fell into a pattern it was familiar with. But while his breathing returned to normal, the racing of his blood didn't reach a comfortable rhythm, still pumping frantically with the burning need to move – to eat – to satisfy the emptiness within him.

Claws and fingers met sand while he crawled on all fours to try and regain himself, but he collapsed again into the muddy earth. Convulsions then began to terrorize his body, for if he was not going to sate the hunger in his belly for the taste of flesh, it would devour him from the inside out.

_"So this is it, huh? Gonna die eating myself… talk about reverse cannibalism."_

Yusuke then felt warmth envelop him, one hand splayed against his wildly beating heart, the other coming to rest on his belly. The comforting feeling almost instantly soothed the rabid beast trying to vie for complete dominance, surrendering to the gentility of the savior who had dared risk their life to stop such madness.

His heart finally steadying and breathing slowing to maintain a healthy balance of awareness, Yusuke chanced a look down at the hands holding him so carefully. Eyes widening and shaking, he bit his lip, as if he was about to cry.

"You should be more careful, dimwit. You're going to get yourself killed unless you can learn to tame this bastard of a monster inside you."

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_I can't believe it took me this long to contemplate Yusuke's situation when dealing with his demonic urges. AHMG, Telle! Really! lol Hope you liked and please leave a review! I love the feedback! Love you guys even more, though! Thanks for your time!_

_47thlight  
_


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